Bibliothèque DIRA

Founded in 2003, Bibliothèque DIRA is a community organisation based in Montréal, Canada working on heritage, education, democracy & civil society.

DIRA is a volunteer-run anarchist collective in Montreal that operates a free lending library of books and zines on anarchism and related subjects, and an archive centre collecting and making accessible documents produced by libertarians in Quebec. Founded in 2003, it is housed on the third floor of a self-managed building at 2035 boulevard Saint-Laurent, and is open to the general public, including activists, students and researchers. The collective is funded mainly by donations from anarchist organisations and individuals, benefit events and sales of its agenda and merchandise, and uses funds mainly to cover rent, telephone and internet. It holds an open-membership model, seeks volunteers for shifts and archival work, and has an autonomous committee managing its documentary collection. It also participates in anarchist book fairs and events, including the Constellation festival.